Doldrums

This is the quietest time of the year here in Frigiliana, and indeed in the whole area. The autumn half-term visitors have gone, many of the 'second home' residents have headed back to the UK or wherever to prepare for Christmas with their families, and of course, the people who will spend Christmas here won't arrive for another three or four weeks.
As a result of all this, those businesses that rely on the tourist and hospitality trade are really struggling, especially as the economic downturn hit their high-season business. Two of our village restaurants have taken the opportunity to close for major refits ready for next year, and two others have simply closed until the end of January.
For those of us foreigners who live here permanently, however,life continues to be pretty good. Temperatures obviously are lower now, but even so we still have afternoon highs of 21 or 22 degrees, and the nights are not yet cold. Also, the November rains have not materialised. I have Accuweather on my iPod, and it frequently indicates rain due in ten days time or so. However, before we get there the rain disappears off the forecast or gets moved back, so it always seems to be ten days away. Great if you're holidaying, but we rely on the rain that comes now and then around February to refill all the reservoirs which have been depleted across the summer. Apart from the odd day now and then, we have not had any real rain since May.